dimanche 21 juillet 2013

How would you define happiness? Summer festivals would have to be my answer. Amazing live music, good friends and nice food, mix it all thogether and you get the perfect reciepe for an unforgettable moment. Festival nights become the greatest memories of your summer. And you know what is actually amazing with festivals? A year, and they come back.

mercredi 3 juillet 2013

This is a must-see place if you are in Dublin's area ! Howth is a small fishing village located on a peninsula about 15km (9.3 miles) away from the busy Dublin. It's the perfect place if you are looking to spend a quiet day and to enjoy the beautiful landscape that Ireland has to offer.

HOW TO GO TO HOWTH ?

◈ By train

The DART will easily take you from Dublin to Howth. You will have to take the train at the Tara St. Station, near theBurgh Quay.
A ticket costs 2.50€ and will get you there in less than half an hour.

◈ By busIf you decide to take the bus, you will have to take it from Abbey Street Lower, which is near the O'Connell Bridge. The bus stop stays on the other side of the river where the train station is.The buses that you can take are the 31 and 31b, the ticket costs 2.20€ and the journey lasts less than an hour. You must go out in the Howth Summit, the last station.

Even if the train is faster, the bus trip is worth it ! You will have a beautiful vue of the sea and the cliffs.

WHAT
TO DO IN HOWTH ?

Let
you get lost, this is the best option. You can follow the well-guided
routes on the cliffs and go for a walk of several hours. The
landscape looks like it was out of a postcard because everything look
so cliché and so.. Irish ! A little piece of advice : cover up !
Even in the late month of march, the weather is still pretty cold and
you get a lot of sea winds. Although, when the sun is out, then the
vue is just breath-taking.

At
the end of your day, don't forget to stop at the Howth Port, to enjoy
a pint of Guinness and, if you are lucky, some seals will come and
say a little hello !

jeudi 27 juin 2013

I found the two most perfect books to read during your long hours of your trip ! These books are both kind of "road trip books", you are basically loosing yourself twice, once by travelling through the book, once through your voyage. Those two little guys will become your best friends during those hours that will then look like minutes !

“ You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living.”― Jon Krakauer, Into The Wild

With the sun going out, we decided with a very good friend to take our bikes (and courage!) and leave to make a "half" tour of the Leman Lake, Switzerland. We left on wednesday June 19th at 12:35pm from Geneva, Switzerland and arrived at 7:20pm in Vevey, Switzerland. On the road, we just let ourselves get lost in all the beauty of the swiss landscape, including the still snowy moutains, the lake stretching as far as the eye can see, and vineyards that never stop.
We did about two hours of climbing in Lavaux's vineyards, which are one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites ! After numerous pauses to appreciate that beautiful nature, we arrived in Vevey, tired but happy.

Lavaux, Switzerland

◈We stayed at the Hôtel de Famille *** (website), a well-situated hotel in the center of the city. It is located near the train station, the lake and the shopping streets. Our room was very comfy, with a private bathroom and a tv. The only negative aspect of this hotel is the noise from the street as it is located in an area with a lot of passage, but with your windows closed, the problem is solved. Delicious breakfast.

Lavaux, Switzerland

I expected the way back to be more complicated, but it was really calm and easy. We didn't go by the vinyard way, we stayed on the road that goes near the Léman lake and is more flat. We left Vevey at 10:05am and arrived in Geneva at 3:44pm. We did about 90km the first day, and 82km on the second. After that little "warm up", I think we are now ready to the real tour of the lake !

(PS : Excuse my photos, I had to use my Samsung Galaxy SII and as we were often on our bikes, I don't have a lot !)